Ministry

Friday, 15 June 2012

 So, a guy who goes by the name “Ministry” emailed me today. He used the email address that I keep solely for correspondance related to MY OTHER WEBSITE. Here’s what he had to say:

First, I am NOT a JW, nor have I ever been, nor has any member of my family or any friends been JWs. I don’t support the  JWs, or maintain they are perfect in their beliefs, and have serious disagreements with them on a number of important matters of biblical interpretation, BUT I have to admit they do have a lot of valid points that it pleases me and God to point toward, and praise them for. Their teaching on Birthdays, is to that point an example. 

On the other hand, I have read your whole site, and I find not one single thing you are right on. You come off as an ignorant bigoted hater that uses illogical arguments to make non-existent points. In short you are a disgusting creep deserving of no respect at all. You make me ashamed to be a human being. Clean up your own stupidity before you attack any others. Someone like you make the JWs look like brilliant angels by comparison. Are you sure you are not a JW plant who is a secret shill for them. The way you talk, it only helps them. Curious. Now, if you have any excuse or defense I would be glad to hear it. 

“Life And Life More Abundantly” 

Google “FounderChurch” for Teachings 

So…here’s a few things that came to my mind when I was reading this:

First, do you know that about 90% of the negative email I receive from that website begins with the writers distancing themselves from the Witnesses? This guy is no exception; his whol first paragraph is letting me know that he’s not a Witness, even though (yawn) he thinks they’re pretty cool cats. Whatever.

Second, I absolutely hate vague criticisms. I mean, off-handedly, I suppose it’s okay. Like, say we go see a movie together and, on the way out, I say, “So what did ya think?” And you say, “It was alright, I guess.” But if you’re going to take the time to write an email, why not address some issue with the site? Instead, he just bemoans my personality which A) he doesn’t know at all and B) is irrelevent. I mean, for the sake of argument, let’s just say I totally agree with his assessment that I am an “ignorant bigoted hate.” Fine. So what? How does that alter the information on the site?

Third, what’s with closing with a call for me to Google his site? Can’t he just embed the link or, at the very least, just type out the URL?

Anyway, here’s what I wrote to him yesterday:

Hello!

Thank you for your email. It is good to know that people are visiting my site!
Your email exemplifies a major reason why I left Christianity. To wit, Christians often claim to excel in love, yet are quick to demonize dissenting opinions and slander arguments that make them uncomfortable, frequently using hyperbole and accusing the person of being amoral or even immoral. I am unsure how people can, on the one hand, claim to belong to a loving religion and follow a loving god, yet construct emails of such a vitriolic nature. It’s strong evidence against Christinity’s central moral claim.
Regarding you final sentence, I do not believe an excuse is warranted. If you require a defense of any of the points I raised, please respond with a specific issue you have with a specific point, fact, or argument on my website. As it is, I am unsure how to respond to overarching, baseless accusations concerning my character, particularly when it is irrelevant with respect the information on the website. In short, respond with specific issues, in coherently constructed sentences, and leave out the hateful, unnecessary ad hominem attacks, or I will not respond at all.

Thank you again.

And today, he wrote this in response:

Problem with you is you are very thin skinned and take offense easily. I am wary of people who are like that. I can say I have lived a long time and I have NEVER in my life ever been insulted by anyone, because I take nothing as an insult. You clearly do, and that is not good at all. I have clearly divided those I have known into those who get insulted and those who never do. 

OK, now for what you wrote. Well at least I guess we now know you are not a JW plant. How does it make you feel to be suspected of such? Don’t answer. 

As for the merit of what you say. I looked very hard and I couldn’t find any merit at all. You seemed to just be gratuitously biting and snapping at the church, and being wrong on top of it. So intellectually your statements are worthy little respect. You may be surprised to know that I have copied your site, NOT for anything you say, which I discard but to hear the very informed justifications of the JW to your ranting. So I have benefited from your site, but totally not in the way you intended. 

I think you need to rethink everything you think and get off of your nasty blame game against God, and the churches and church people, and get into improving yourself. You sound very young and immature. You are smart and fast, but you have little on your hard drive to use to make good judgments. 

 

If you are teachable I am able to teach you, but you seem so full of God hating Democrat Liberalism that likely nothing can save you. In short none of the churches are perfect, far from it, but you are worse than all of them, or any of them at this time. Thanks for putting up your site though. It has served me fine, and I thank you for that. 

My favorite part is where he asked me a question, then immediately followed it up with “Don’t answer.” Way to encourage dialog there, Ministry.

Saturday, 16 June 2012

 This morning, I responded to Ministry thusly:

Hello!

Requesting you refrain from ad hominem attacks is not thin-skinned, it is asking that you discuss the real issues and facts brought up on the website rather than just name-calling and making irrelevent guesses regarding my age and personaility. And I don’t think I’ve been offended by anything. Ever.

I am glad to hear you are sharing my website with Jehovah’s Witnesses! Most of them would immediately shun such information, and some have even been disciiplined for sharing the contents of the site with other members of their congregation. So, if you’ve been able to find a way to share the information with them, that’s excellent. Thank you! I plan to copy these emails and put them on my blog as an example of the responses my site generates from Christians.

In my previous response, I requested you desist from character attacks if you wish any future replies. As evident from your most recent email, you do not wish to comply with this request. This, therefore, is my final response to you, and I will add your email address to my spam filter.

And he then replied this afternoon:

Fine, you can’t take criticism though you can dish it out aplenty. Your reading is as careless as your writing. I NEVER said I ever shared a single world of yours with any JW, ever. I don’t even know any JWs. 

All I know of them is what I read in their literature which is all over place, and on the web. They seem to me to be no worse, or better, than any of the other hundreds of religious denominations of all faiths. 

You are just self-puffed-up, and on a bigoted hate trip due to your break-up with your first love, The Jehovah’s Witnesses. She did you wrong, now you hate her. You look ridiculous. 

All religious bodies of every sort have censorship and rules and persecutions laid out for those who disagree with them both inside and outside their organizations. What is new in that? So-called secular organizations have the same set of punitive punishments for their “heretics,” Secular organizations are all quasi religious churches who just construct, and conduct themselves differently, so as to hide that fact for their own benefit. 

 

Secularism is a religious movement with all the characteristics and attributes that openly religious organizations have. Wake up and smell the coffee before you think you are standing for anything new. And stop hating. It make you look shrill, ignorant and bigoted. 

So, I guess I misunderstood him because I thought he’d shown my site to some Witnesses. I guess I was wrong, but his writing doesn’t exactly merit an A for style. Regardless, I’m done with him. He had three chances to point out a specific issue with the site and, instead, just wants to attack my personality (and youth! …how flattering). When I tried to steer him away from that, he accused me of being thin-skinned. It’s kind of sad, really, but it makes me glad that I’ve distanced myself from the need to apologize for a fragile faith. It makes a person write weird emails, like Minstry’s.

Sunday, 17 June 2012

And while we’re on the topic of the Witnesses, I want to point out this article:

 California Jury Awards $28M in Jehovah’s Sex Abuse Case

The first thing I want to point out is that this is a hilarious title for an article; notice: it’s Jehovah’s Sex Abuse Scandal. I love it!

The second thing I want to point out is, this is an enormous sum! Of course, Conti’s not getting most of this, because the perpetrator has no cash to cough up, but this must scare the Watchtower Society. I see that they plan to appeal it. Here’s another idea for their legal team: Change the name of your religion! First, it’s a cumbersome, clumsy name – what with that apostropher an all. Second – and more importantly – I was always taught that we don’t want to do anything that brings reproach on Jehovah’s name. The article title, above, seems plenty reproachful to me.

I bet Sparlock is behind this.